Dáin II Ironfoot
Dáin II Ironfoot or King Dáin (TA 2767 - TA 3019) was a Dwarven King of Durin's Folk, the fifth King under the Mountain, and the Lord of the Iron Hills during the War of the Ring in Middle-earth during the late Third Age. He fought alongside King Brand, the King of Dale in the northern battles against the Easterlings during the War of the Ring and died along with him, but his sacrifice helped defeat Mordor's allies in the north, which helped shield Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Lothlórien from the northern attack of Sauron's war on Middle-earth. History Early Life and War of the Dwarves and Orcs Dáin was the son of Náin and the grandson of Grór, the youngest son of Dáin I of Durin's folk, and was lord of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills in Wilderland. He followed his father, Náin, in lordship after Nain was killed by the great Orc chieftain Azog during the Battle of Azanulbizar, the final conflict in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. Almost immediately after the death of Náin, Dáin rushed up the steps and slew Azog himself, thus avenging his father's death. He was a very young Dwarf at the time, being only thirty-three years of age, by the dwarves reckoning, he was still a stripling. Dáin's feat was heralded as a magnificent and glorious triumph for one so young. Dáin alone looked past the gate into Moria, and had the wisdom to know that it was impossible for the Dwarves to return at that time. His kingdom at the Iron Hills was so great that they were the only people truly capable of dealing with Sauron's forces at that time. Battle of the Five Armies Dáin was the second cousin of Thorin Oakenshield, and responded to Thorin's call for help during the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Dáin set out with five hundred Dwarves, and his army wore large and heavy war armor, with iron boots, and those dwarves were strong, even for dwarves, and had fury in their hearts which made the orcs run away. He arrived just in time for the Battle of the Five Armies. King of Lonely Mountain, the War of the Ring, and Death After Thorin's death, Dáin became King under the Mountain and King of Durin's folk, the first not in a direc t line. Dáin was a wise and just ruler and brought much wealth to the mountain realm and was on good terms with the Men of Dale in the south, and probably the Elven king of Northern Mirkwood as well, which ensured peace for many years to come. Dáin participated in the War of the Ring's northern campaign but was killed during the Battle of Dale in TA 3019, defending the body of King Brand of Dale before the gates of the Lonely Mountain. He was, by then, an extremely old Dwarf, at the age of two-hundred and fifty-two, but far from feeble. He was still among the greatest of the Dwarven warriors, a direct descendant of Durin and his prowess in battle was nearly unmatched. Indeed, Gandalf is said to have remarked upon the feat after learning of his death. After his death during the war, his son, Thorin III Stonehelm, succeeded him. Non-canonical roles and appearances Dáin appears in the real time strategy game The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II, fighting on the Dwarven team as King Dáin. His great axe in the game is Barazanthual, which was one of the finest weapons ever made by Dwarfdom and was rightly feared by all his enemies. References *The Lord of the Rings: Appendix A pgs. 1075 & 1079 *The Complete Guide to Middle-earth External link * de:Dáin II. pl:Dáin II Żelazna Stopa ru:Даин II Железностоп Category:Dwarves Category:Lords of the Iron Hills Category:Kings of Erebor Category:The Hobbit Characters